Burke and the Vampire

by Edward Kendrick

  “Reynaud, I would suggest you do it tonight, before you leave.”

  “I know. I know. I will.”

  Ten minutes later, Reynaud was ringing Burke’s doorbell.

  “This is a surprise,” Burke said when he opened the door. He immediately kissed Reynaud before stepping aside to let him in. “Antoine let you run free on a weeknight?”

  “Well…” Reynaud hesitated.

  “Why do I think ‘well’ doesn’t mean anything good?”

  “Because you won’t think it is.” Reynaud took his hand, leading him into the living room. “Sit and I’ll explain.”

  Burke did, looking at him expectantly.

  “I’m leaving in a couple of hours to take a rogue back to face his King.”

  “And you’re only telling me now?” Burke replied, his expression darkening.

  “Yes. I suppose I could lie and say I didn’t know until earlier this evening, but it wouldn’t be the truth.” Reynaud went on to tell him about Jakob, pacing as he did.

  “Why not kill him now, while he’s in your clutches?” Burke asked caustically when Reynaud finished.

  “Because he’s subject to the rules set down by his King, not Antoine.”

  “That didn’t stop you from dealing with Silvan.”

  “Silvan was a vicious rogue that everyone wanted eliminated. It didn’t matter who destroyed him as long as he died,” Reynaud said, coming to a stop in front of Burke. “Jakob was only after his Sire. If he hadn’t killed him, he would still be free. However, he did and he has to face the consequences.”

  “Why are you taking him there? Why didn’t his King send someone to pick him up?”

  “He was captured in our territory.”

  “Then you should have let me know he was here.”

  “Burke…” Reynaud sighed. “That’s not how it works. He wasn’t a rogue in the usual sense.”

  “Still, I could have helped you find him.” Burke stared at him for a long moment. “Is he cute?”

  “What?”

  “Is he cute? Is he gay? Is he someone you might be interested in if you get to know him better? Are you taking him so you can argue his case with his King and try to save him from whatever punishment he’s facing so he’ll feel obligated to you?”

  “Good lord.” Reynaud looked at him in shocked disbelief. “You cannot be serious. Where did all that come from? Don’t tell me you’re jealous because if you are there’s no reason to be.”

  “That didn’t answer my questions,” Burke replied, not dropping his gaze.

  Reynaud took a deep breath. “Yes, he’s cute I guess, if you like the type. I have no idea if he’s gay and even if he is, I’m not interested in getting to know him better, as you put it. I’m only the delivery boy, not his defender. That is not my job.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me when you found out?”

  “I guess because I was afraid you’d react like this, although I figured it would be because I had to leave for a while. It will be the first time we’ve be apart for any length of time since we met.”

  “I don’t own you, Rey. You’re free to go anywhere you want, whenever you want. Just have the courtesy to let me know more than an hour ahead of time,” Burke said caustically. “At least you did let me know, which I suppose is something.” He scowled, asking, “Was it your choice to wait until the last minute, or did King Antoine order you to?”

  “Mine. I told you that.” Reynaud tried to take Burke’s hand, only to have him pull it away. “Please, don’t be like this.”

  “It seems like we hardly see each other at all as it is, except on Sundays. Now you’re going to be gone for…for however long it takes. What did you expect me to do? Cheer? Say have a good trip and call when you get back?”

  “I expected you to understand there are things I have to do because Antoine needs me to. I thought you did. Apparently I was wrong.” Reynaud started for the door, turned and said, “I will call. I hope you answer.”

  Burke barely nodded.

  With a sigh, Reynaud left, resisting slamming the door.

  * * * *

  Burke watched the door close behind Reynaud. I think I blew it. But damn it, he has to realize this is supposed to be a two-way street. He’d have a fit if I took off with a ‘see you when I get back’ and nothing more. At least I hope he would.

  “And I’m not jealous. I’m not!” He said it but he wasn’t certain it was true. “This Jakob is cute, he said. Cute and a vampire. Two strikes in his favor—or against me I guess.”

  He was tempted to call Reynaud to tell him he was sorry for the way he’d acted. The thing of it is, I’m not. He had no right to drop this in my lap and expect me to accept it like it was the way things are with him—and between us.

  “If I didn’t care so much for him…I know he feels the same about me, even though I’m human. That could be the problem with his being willing for us to move on and really cement our relationship. That I am human. He hasn’t said it, but in his head is that what’s going on? It’s too big a commitment for him?”

  He sighed. “Then I go ballistic on him. If he doesn’t come back…Well, he’ll come back to the city, but what if being gone gives him time to think and he decides to cut his losses? How will I know he has come back if he stays away from me?” Burke smiled grimly. “I’ll spend my nights searching for him instead of rogues. Yeah, as if. If he walks away…he does. It happens and my worrying he might isn’t going to change things.”

  He knew that was the truth, so he turned off the lights and headed up to bed, forcing all thoughts of what might happen next to the back of his mind—as much as possible.

  * * * *

  Burke spent Friday and Saturday nights the way he always did, hunting for vampires bent on feeding from humans. All the while he kept his senses open for any sign of Reynaud. It was well after midnight on Saturday when he decided he’d had enough of trolling the streets. He made his way back to the Quarter and to the club where he and Reynaud had first met. Wishful thinking that he might show up here? Probably.

  When he wended his way through the mass of men to the bar, the bartender arched an eyebrow. “Where’s your sidekick?” he asked.

  “Off on a business trip,” Burke replied, figuring that was close enough to the truth.

  He took the beer the bartender handed him, paid, then went upstairs. It was equally as busy there, to the point he was lucky to find a place to squeeze in along the railing on the balcony.

  He’d just taken his first drink of his beer when the man next to him said, “It’s nicer out here than inside.”

  Burke glanced at him, nodding. “Cooler, anyway.”

  “I’ve seen you here a couple of times with someone.”

  “Yep. An old friend.” Literally. Burke smiled at that thought. “He’s out of town tonight.”

  “Only a friend? I don’t want to, well you know, poach if you two are more than that.”

  Burke debated how to reply, then took the high road. “A very close friend, but we’re not exclusive.”

  “So if I asked you to dance…?” the man said.

  “He’d say ‘no thanks’.”

  Burke turned and his mouth tightened. “What are you doing here, Antoine?”

  “I came in search of you. Right now, I’m also looking after Reynaud’s interests, I think.” He shot Burke a sour look.

  Burke rolled his eyes. “Nice of you…not,” he replied, returning his attention to the man—who was no longer standing there. “You compelled him to leave, didn’t you?” Burke said angrily, if barely above a whisper.

  Antoine smiled wickedly. “I merely showed him a nice man at the edge of the dance floor who seemed to be looking for a partner. After all, dancing was what he wanted to do, or so he said.”

  “Go away, Antoine. Believe it or not, I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions on who I dance with, or anything else.”

  “Not until we talk, although I suggest we do it somewhere else.”

 
Burke sighed. He had the feeling Antoine wasn’t going anywhere until he agreed. “All right. Where?”

  “Follow me.”

  Burke did, and they ended up in a small courtyard not too far from the club. “This belongs to one of my people, so we won’t be disturbed,” Antoine said, gesturing to a table with two chairs. Other than the entrance from the street, and the doorway opposite with an overhanging balcony, it was surrounded by the brick walls of buildings on three sides.

  “Peaceful,” Burke commented, taking one of the chairs.

  “Indeed.” Antoine sat, pressing his fingertips together. “You’re upset with Reynaud. I understand that. He should have handled things differently and told you as soon as he knew he would have to escort Jakob back to his King. It was a miscalculation on his part.”

  “No shit!”

  “In case you’re wondering, I told him as much.”

  “Why? I’d think you’d be glad that he screwed up. It made me doubt whether he gives a damn about my feelings. That’s what you want, isn’t it? To separate us before things get any more personal.”

  “Despite what you think, I do not want that. You’ve done something no one else has since I’ve known him. You’ve made him happy. I’ll agree, it’s taken me a while to realize it, but you have.” Antoine looked directly at Burke. “Are you happy?”

  “I was. I thought we had something real going on, despite our differences. Now I’m beginning to wonder.”

  “Did he tell you why he waited until the last minute to let you know he’d be taking off for a while?”

  Burke nodded. “He was afraid I’d be upset. Then he told me what he was doing and his—” he smiled dryly, “—his prediction came true.”

  Antoine chuckled. “The green-eyed monster took hold of you. Unfortunate, but I suspect not unexpected. The man you love going off with someone else will do that.”

  “I don’t love him,” Burke protested.

  “Really?”

  “I care for him. That’s it, end of story. I know he’s going to think about what’s going on and decide being involved with a human isn’t worth the consequences. I’ve accepted it.” Burke stared down at his hands, clenched on the tabletop. “Or I’m trying to,” he said morosely.

  “So you’re giving up that easily. I’m surprised. One small argument and you’re willing to throw everything away. I expected better from you.” Antoine covered Burke’s hands with his own. “He needs you. Give him a chance to show you he does.”

  “What if he thinks he doesn’t?”

  Antoine shook his head. “If that happens you take things into your own hands. You know where to find him.” Antoine reached into his pocket, took out a key and handed it to Burke. “This is to his house. Use it, if necessary.”

  “You’re serious!”

  “I am. He’s one of the few I can truly call a friend. I want him to be happy and as I see it, that means having you in his life on a permanent basis.”

  “Semi-permanent. I am going to die eventually.”

  “So they say,” Antoine replied—but the look he gave him made Burke wonder exactly what he meant by that.

  “I must be off, now,” Antoine said. “Think about what I’ve said and please make the right decision.”

  With that, Antoine strolled out of the courtyard, vanishing before he reached the sidewalk. Burke fingered the key, then slipped it onto his key ring. He wasn’t certain he’d use it, if it came down to it…But at least I have a recourse if it does.

  Chapter 10

  “Well, well, look what we have here. Reynaud’s pet human.”

  Burke had known the two vampires were close by, but he’d read them as benign so he’d ignored them as he walked from work to where he’d parked his car. Not that he could have done anything if they weren’t. His gun was sitting at home as it always did during the week. He wouldn’t even be where he was, walking down the shadowy side street, if he hadn’t stayed late to put the finishing touches on a project. Now he wished he hadn’t. The tone of the vampire’s voice was far from friendly.

  He walked faster, seeing the parking lot just ahead of him. Suddenly one of the vampires was in front of him and he knew the other one was close behind him.

  “What’s the hurry, pretty boy? Don’t you want to know who we are?”

  “Not really,” Burke spat out, trying to move past him.

  “Of course he does, Leon. He’s dying to know.” The vampire behind Burke snickered.

  “Now, now, Wynn, don’t put it that way. You might scare him,” Leon said. When Burke took a step toward the curb, Leon was there, holding out his arms to herd him toward the lot.

  Burke ducked to his right, under Leon’s arm. Instantly the other one, Wynn he presumed, grabbed his bicep, spinning him around. “Naughty, naughty. You don’t want to make us angry, do you?”

  They looked like characters from The Lost Boys, down to Leon’s blond mullet. Not a good look. Not by a long shot. I shouldn’t even be thinking something like that. Not now.

  Burke tried to pull free of Wynn’s grip, looking for a way to escape if he could.

  “Aww, he doesn’t want to play with us, Wynn,” Leon said as he gripped Burke’s wrist and the two vampires dragged him into the semi-darkness of the parking lot.

  “But I do,” Reynaud said as he appeared in front of them. “I like playing with fools.”

  Leon wrapped one arm around Burke, using his other hand to grip his chin as his fangs dropped.

  “Don’t do it,” Reynaud ordered.

  “Think you can stop me?” Leon asked, his fangs brushing against Burke’s throat. His question was answered seconds later when a huge gash appeared on his arm, running from the elbow to the wrist, as if he’d been cut by a large knife. His opened his mouth, a scream dying in his throat when Reynaud tore him away from Burke, impaling a stake in his chest. Leon’s body turned to dust.

  “Your turn, Wynn,” Reynaud said, pacing toward the now cowering vampire, the stake held menacingly in front of him. “You should have known better than to go along with Leon’s plan. All he ever did was look for trouble.” Reynaud smiled wickedly. “Guess he found more than he bargained for this time.”

  “He…He…”

  “Yes? He what?”

  “He said you were a fool to choose that—” Wynn pointed to Burke, “—over him.”

  “Did he, now? And you agreed with him?”

  Wynn swallowed hard. “He said vampires aren’t meant to be with humans. They’re only good for one thing, to provide us with blood.” He looked around frantically. “Let me go and I’ll leave the city. I swear.”

  “I can’t do that. You attacked a human. Not only that, he’s The Hunter. You’re damned lucky he wasn’t on the hunt tonight or you’d be dead.”

  “Him?” Wynn’s eyes widened in disbelief. “No way.”

  “I am,” Burke said, having regained some of his composure. “Give me the stake, Rey, and I’ll do the honors, unless you want to deliver him to Antoine.”

  “I’m considering it, or…” Reynaud replied. “Look at me, Wynn.”

  “No,” Wynn said, shaking in terror.

  Reynaud put his hands on each side of Wynn’s face, forcing him to. “You’ll do as I command.”

  “Yes, Reynaud.”

  “You will forget about tonight. You will forget about Leon. You will never go after another human. If I even think you have you will face my wrath. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Reynaud.” Wynn replied, his eyes having glazed over. Then he looked around as if wondering why he was there.

  “It was good to talk with you again, Wynn,” Reynaud said, patting the other vampire’s shoulder. “Perhaps I’ll see you around sometime.”

  Wynn nodded and hurried away without a backward glance.

  Burke took a shuddering breath. “If you hadn’t…” Then he frowned. “Why are you here?”

  “I was looking for you. You weren’t at home so I figured you were working late, but you weren’t th
ere, either. The security guard said you’d just left. It’s a good thing you’re a creature of habit and always park in the same place.”

  “When did you get back, and why didn’t you call?”

  “Tonight, and I did. It went straight to your voicemail.”

  “Oh,” Burke said weakly, remembering he’d forgotten to turn his phone on before leaving work.

  Reynaud took two steps forward, wrapping Burke in a hard embrace. “I missed you. All the time I was gone, all I could think about was how we left things the last time I saw you. I should have—”

  “Don’t,” Burke said, putting a finger over Reynaud’s lips. “It was my fault. I was jealous, I’ll admit it, and hurt that you didn’t tell me you were leaving until the last minute. That didn’t give me the right to act the way I did. I think I was scared. No, I know I was. Afraid that while you were gone you’d decide I wasn’t good enough for you because I’m human. We both know what that means. We’ve talked about it enough times. I’m not going to be around forever.”

  “Then we’ll make the most of it while you are, if you’re willing. I need you, Burke. I need you in my life in a way I’ve never needed anyone before. I know that, although it took being gone for me to realize it.”

  Burke felt his pulse quicken. “You’re certain?”

  “More certain than I’ve been of anything in my life. I don’t want to lose you and I almost did because I was stupid.”

  “Yeah, you were.”

  Reynaud laughed. “You didn’t have to agree quite so quickly.”

  “Well, it’s the truth. It’s okay, though, as long as you don’t pull something like that again.”

  “I’m not planning on it.”

  “Good. Now that that’s settled, do you want a ride home?”

  “That depends. Your home or mine?”

  Burke replied by kissing him, murmuring against his lips, “Your choice but if I have a say in it, mine. I’m starving and your food supply leaves something to be desired.”

  “I’ll have to remedy that, but not tonight, so your place it is.”

  As Burke drove them to his house, he asked, “What you did to Leon. That was part of what you call the killing gift?”